26 February 1998 Edition

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Fermanagh petition

Fermanagh Saoirse is launching a new petition calling for the immediate transfer and repatriation of Irish POWs in English jails. The petition is accompanied by letters which can be forwarded to Jack Straw and Tony Blair also calling for repatriation.

The new campaign will highlight the conditions of all Irish political prisoners held in jails in England, Ireland and the USA. ``The POWs are a product of the conflict'', said Saoirse spokesperson Frances McHugh who pointed out that of over 350 people killed by British crown forces in the Six Counties, ``very few of the killers have seen the inside of a prison cell. Those who were convicted were transferred to England and released within two years. The precedent was set with Ian Thain and Lee Clegg, and now there is support for the murderers of young Peter McBride to be released early''.

British Home Office policy is to house prisoners as close to their families as possible, and the European Standing Commission on Human Rights has stated that ``general refusal to transfer prisoners may constitute unwarranted interference with family life in contravention of Article 8 of its Convention on Human Rights. In fact Britain and Ireland are both signatories to the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Act and are legally obliged to return Republican POWs in English jails home.

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